(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

This week serves as an annual reminder of the dangers of fires in our homes, and what we can each do to help prevent them from happening.

While Fire Prevention Week often includes activities aimed at young people — with visits from firefighters to local schools providing educational materials and activities — it is a time during which we all should focus on lessons that have the potential to save lives.

This year’s theme is “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!”

According to the National Fire Protection Association, working smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by 54%. That’s WORKING smoke alarms. The NFPA also notes that three out of every five fire-related deaths happen in homes with either no smoke alarm or smoke alarms which don’t work.

In West Virginia, the U.S. Fire Administration reported 26 home fire fatalities in 2023, with 42 already reported this year. One death is too many, and, again, working smoke alarms can help prevent them.

It is advised for smoke alarms to be installed in every bedroom, as well as outside of each separate sleeping area, and on each level of the home including the basement. Smoke alarms should be tested at least once a month and replaced when they are 10 years old.

Local fire departments often have community outreach programs beyond their school visits, so be sure to speak with your neighborhood firefighters for advice as well. And though this might be a special occasion to think about fire prevention, it should be on our minds year-round.

Test your fire-safety equipment (check fire extinguishers, too), have a plan for calling first responders and evacuating your home, and be vigilant when using items such as stoves, candles, space heaters and even overburdened electrical outlets and extension cords. Help keep yourself and your family safe.